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MEN - Make It Reverse.

A lot of fun has been made at my expense in regards to the one and only photo of me ever published in a newspaper. It just happened to be on the front page of the New York Times technology section and just happened to have a prominently placed copy of the Le Tigre Decepticon 12" in the background while I smiled like a giddy schoolgirl. It was four years ago and a weird time for all of us in the blog world, but what can I do, right?

The funny thing is, I was never all that big of a Le Tigre fan. I always respected what they did and even got down to their jams from time to time but never spent that much time with them. Their prominent placement in my record collection was a coincidence. ANYway, years have passed and we've all grown up a little bit and Le Tigre broke up and that was a damn shame. But then, out of the blue, JD and Johanna show up as a DJ team, blowing the doors off the resident hipster parties and generally reminding all of us that fuck, dudes, it's fun to fucking dance.

And then, even more out of an even deeper blue, they drop a couple tracks on our doorstep and wouldn't you know, it's not bad. It sounds like Le Tigre without a drummer and with less tolerance for screaming. Now we're not as angry, and we all learned a lot from that 12", back in the day. We can all sweat and twist on the dancefloor while they paint the back of our brains with their subtle social politics. No one is inventing new types of wheels here, but hot damn it's a lot of fun. There's a beautiful, sad little breakdown that slows the tempo for a bit, but then we're right back into the action for my last thrust. Then it's all over.

So what have we learned today? Fuck if I know. I know that they're going on tour right now all over the damn country. You should really go out of your way to see them. Even if they're playing at that weekly DJ party you usually avoid because you're sick and tired of the tank top and ray bans set. You'll get over yourself and have some fun while you're at it. They'll also be all over Austin next month where I will hopefully get to see them again.

I'm not sure when/if an album will come out, but the songs that are out there are highly recommended.

You’re probably familiar with South Central — their remixes are everywhere and always pure gold. And if you’re not familiar with them then you probably should be. Proof? So oh my god — you think “Golden Dawn” is all typical. And then it explodes. Not stopping with what could be a simple instrumental, South Central goes the extra mile and drops in some hot robot vox. I don’t understand a single word they’re singing but I’m gonna bet it will lead to making out on the dance floor. Bang bang…

South Central - “Golden Dawn” (mp3)

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Fuck Buttons - Sweet Love for Planet Earth

I spent last week at home with my wife and my cat, watching TV, making crazy dinners, reading and listening to music. I didn't go out much. My one day of plans, last Friday, was scrapped due to 5" or so of snow. It was awesome. I also just finished reading the most recent issue of Vice Magazine, with the crazy psychedelic manga cover, which reminds me of the cover of Fuck Buttons' new album Street Horrrsing.

I don't usually get into so-called 'noise bands' but these guys - Andrew Hung & Benjamin John Power, from Bristol, UK - have something which a lot of other bands they might get lumped with don't, and that is rhythm and melody. Much of the music is extended slices of drone, but the tones they take on are both pretty and raw, and I find my mind connecting them with shoegaze territory, sounding like Ride or Mogwai (especially on "Race You To My Bedroom - Spirit Rise"). I really appreciate that. I like music that moves me to dance, or at least bob my head to it, and the whole album has all these parts woven throughout that move me. Plus, they're totally into psychedelics - with titles like "Okay, Let's Talk About Magic" and "Colours Move" how could they not be?

You can pre-order Street Horrrsing from Amazon.com now, and it will ship to you on the release date, March 18th. You can also grab the tracks from the "Bright Tomorrow" 7" via eMusic. Visit their label, All Tomorrow's Parties' website for more info, and check out their myspace page to see some of their videos.

Oh, and for those of us over on this side of the world, Fuck Buttons are touring North America in March and April with Caribou, so do what you can to check them out - I've heard nothing but good things about these guys live. Full tour dates here. Definitely recommended.

XLR8R is throwing an awesome party tomorrow sponsored by SCION Monday February 25th at Slide. They are celebrating one year of XLR8TR TV. Set to perform are Switch, Lazersword DJ’s, Hours of Worship DJ’s, C.L.A.W.S., and Secret Springs DJ’s. Let’s start stomping our feet, this is a free party so RSVP here.

The Ting Tings - “Great DJ” (YouTube)

Calvin Harris’ remix of the Ting Tings has been making the blog rounds — and with good reason. This mix is full of typical Harris delightfulness mixed with Ting Tings quirkiness… the final sum is perfect pop love.

The Ting Tings - “Great DJ” (Calvin Harris remix) (mp3)

Like it says, PDDNM vs Fluokids - so expect disco from me and David, and French freak-out-electro-jams from the 'kids.

Good times!

In the ongoing series of MFR sandwich shows, if you live in L.A. (where undoubtedly you're not buried under all sorts of snowy hell like we are here in NYC), you best get up and get to the Roxy tonight to see two excellent MFR Vol. 2 alumni, Black Gold and Walter Meego, playing respective sets in a lineup that kicks off at 8pm!

And while you're there, raise a glass for Blair and myself, sitting in our igloo, wishing for warmer climes.

El Ten Eleven - The Jumping Frenchman of Maine.

There is something to be said for the ability to change. With only two members -- a guitar/bassist and drummer -- el ten eleven can be whatever they want to be. They could go the usual routes of blues duo that plays arenas, or hardcore duo that plays the smell. Or they could make a song that wouldn't sound out of place on the next Kitsune Maison comp. It's obvious that Kristian and Tim have spent some time with the Ed Banger catalog, and their other band (the soft lightes) being on Modular doesn't hurt either.

And you pack those influences into the already amazing sound and it just smashes through expectations. Kristian finds some absolutely sick dance riffs on this one -- parts that would normally go to a synth and sound flat or tired sound explosive when played on live guitar here. Tim's added some new sounds to his electronic kit but still pounds the fuck out of his snare and throws in some cowbell to call you out to the dancefloor.

They tell me to expect more songs in this direction on the new album they're working on, and I more than approve. These dudes just keep getting better and better.

So who wants to press this to 12" and commission some remixes?

you can pick up their previous, highly recommended releases direct from the band here.

(click the image for full-sized flyer)

We're super-duper excited about this one, as we're bringing the heat from overseas again... been a while since we've been able to do something this big, and we're doing it at Studio B, so you know it will go down!

Oh, and there's more to come, with some more hot action around town... stay tuned!

Brad Breek - One Too Many Mornings Anthem.

Dear Brad:

You win.

This is the type of song you could put at the beginning or the end of the tape. It's the song that stirs your coffee, the song that cleans your ears, the song that reminds you at the end of that terrible fucking hilarious night that you will wake up tomorrow and all that glorious shit. It's the type of song that you run up the flagpole on the first day of summer or the last day of school. It's the song that you wrap in bacon, stuff in a bun, smother in onions and cover in one solitary poblano pepper that's so fucking good the department of health declares it to be illegal. It's the song that rings true with an honest lesson learned, a mistake forgiven, an earnest hope of redemption. It's the song we all want to hear whether we're the fuck-er or the fuck-up.

So listen, we know Brad Breek; he is the invincible, explosive drummer of the Mae Shi, one of my favorite bands to walk the earth. The band may be touring this wild land without the expressive power of his skins or animal yelp of his throat, but he clearly has been busy in the studio doing this little thing of his own.

Turns out, it's from the soundtrack to an upcoming film. The song actually takes its title from the film. The movie is currently in production here in Los Angeles, and it seems like an honest effort. I'm sure that if Brad is involved then it's probably going to be worth our time. And if he happens to be filling in the rest of the soundtrack with songs of similar scope and style I'll be sure to tag along for the ride.

At any rate, there is no album to purchase or anything, though if you felt like contributing I'm sure you could find a way to help out with the movie. So very highly recommended.